DId you know worms love paper?!!!

Did you know, worms love paper?!!! We got a lot of old documents...

to shred. We are Spring cleaning and have a lot to get rid of. Somehow it just piles up. Only shred paper though, not plastic! Window envelopes should never be shredded as the plastic will make the worms sick! They cannot digest plastic.

We take the shredded paper and turn it into the compost bin. The worms just love it! It also helps your compost bin from getting too wet, absorbing the water, The worms then turn this into beautiful black gold! Just another way to be sustainable and responsible for our earth!

Blessing on this Memorial Day!

Coon Hollow Farm wishes everyone a Happy and Safe Memorial Day Holiday, as we all pause to remember our Veterans and their sacrifices.

Pick your eggs today!

We have an array of eggs in different colors and in extra large sizes! Just $3.00 a dozen ! We are home for the weekend, it's the driveway with the bird house!!!

Well looky there!

Today I looked in on the bees and look what I found! This was actually in "The Beast" hive, doing what bees do this time of year, attempting to swarm! I accidently broke open one of the queen cells, but if you look right under it, there is another. I moved this over to one of my hives that is struggling a bit. They have a terrible queen in there and I have just been waiting to find some queen cells to replace her. So with a little hope that this little girl or one of the others on the other side is strong and kills the older queen and take over this hive and save it. The other cells above also look to be queens along with some drone cells. Fingers crossed!!!

The undaunting task of grooming the angora rabbit

Spring here in Connecticut doesn't seem like it wants to warm up. So grooming the rabbits who live downstairs, not outside, been put off because it has just been too cold. The hard part is they will matt if I put it off too long. These two girls above need loose those wool coats.

"Tawny" was first on the schedule. Her staple length can be as long as 8 inches. She is a broken chocolate Vienna marked English Angora. Her wool is just gorgeous!

Half way through the process and still so much to go. It's not easy trying to groom a moving target! You also have to be careful not to stress them. When my bunnies come in for a hug I know it's time to stop and give them a break.

Her she is somewhat completed. She wasn't have it  so we will revisit her in a few days and clean her up.

Next on to "Fluffer" who is a sweet boy and so much easier. This priceless wool is worth every step of effort!

We call her "The Beast"

When you open a hive, this is what you are hoping to see! Lots of bees! In this picture they are up in the feeder, lots of them!

We already have a queen excluder on because she is everywhere!

Frames like this one make up the hive. Capped brood, larvae stages and lots of eggs everywhere you look. This frame has brood in the center with honey stores capped and ready to go to feed. Many of the frames looked like this one, with end frames consisting of all honey stores. A very healthy hive doing what bees should do!

As I was inspecting the hive I found her, "The Beast"!!! I placed her in a queen marker for her safety as I was going through the hive. Never can be too careful with her majesty! While I had her out I brushed up her mark of white. This mark indicates she is a 2016 queen and makes it all that much easier to find her amongst thousands of bees.

This was a very sweet shot, after I released her they appear to be comforting her, cleaning her and feeding her before she gets back to work!

Wild Edibles, they are everywhere!

When you see this plant in the Spring, you can eat it! When the tops are flowering, the plant is in it's second year and is ready for harvest. This is Garlic Mustard, an invasive plant.

I gather the plants, wash them, dry them...

toss them into a food processor with some olive oil, chopped walnuts, parmesan cheese, a little lemon juice, some garlic salt, salt and pepper. I add a little bit of this and a little bit of that until I get the desired texture and taste.

The finished product. Place it over pasta or just use it as a dip. I find this pesto much better than basil pesto!

Lavender and Rose Water cookies with wild violets are also a favorite this time of year.

I also baked a lamb's quarter quiche for today. I am teaching a class on wild edibles today. We have much to feast on as we explore all the wild edibles that are so abundant this time of year! So get out, explore and eat what Nature has to provide for us!

Suspicious Minds!

Today was shearing day and with our moving about the gang began to grow very suspicious. The stares and the humming was quite funny as they knew we were up to something.

The shearers showed up as we were racing against the rain and got right to work starting on the goats...

then the alpacas.

Haircuts, teeth and hooves were all trimmed in about an hour...

and we put it in the books for another year. Naked animals and some beautiful fiber for some future projects!